Fender Japan ST72 Stratocaster | Part Two

◀ Part One

In the previous post, I highlighted the main external features of this stunning Fender Japan ST72 Stratocaster. Now, I've dismantled everything because it's going to be thoroughly serviced, cleaned and polished.

Hardware wise, everything was in good shape except for the bridge. Rust had begun to take root, especially on the stamped bent-steel saddles. It took lots of Autosol, steel wool, various lubes, and a Dremel polishing attachment to get things up to snuff. 

On to the body, then. As expected, there's no shielding, save for some aluminum foil under the pickguard where the controls are. I really like the "worm route" in the bridge pickup cavity, it's a nice vintage touch. 

Now, the electronics. This ST72 features three ceramic single-coil pickups, a Hosco VLX53 five-way lever pickup selector switch, Gotoh A250K mini-pots, 0047uF (473) tone cap; and generic output jack. I was kind of disappointed seeing mini-pots instead of full-sized ones, I must say. I mean, they could put in a Hosco switch, but not full-sized pots? Guess Fender Japan had to save a little money somehow.

The wiring had been tampered with, as I spotted splicing and heat-shrink tubing on the black and white wires to the output jack; and the totally gnarly solder connections on the output jack tabs. Well, as the volume pot was stuck, I'd have to remove a couple components; and might as well do some rewiring while I was at it. The stuck pot was turning again after some spray lube and lots of coaxing with a set of pliers; thank goodness. A spritz of contact cleaner; a few quick rotations both ways; and this pot was back in the saddle.

I replaced the spliced wires with a length of shielded coaxial cable, and added a lock washer to the output jack socket to prevent it turning by itself and coming loose. You'd be surprised at how many manufacturers try to save a few bucks by not using a proper lock washer. Instead, they'll simply add another hex nut on the inside; making it doubly-difficult to remove the jack from the jack plate for servicing. Nope, you won't find this shortcoming on Switchcraft #11 jack sockets.

Once the electronics and hardware had been serviced, this ST72 was reassembled and set up with Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys (010-046). I was secretly pleased that Shaifful requested 10s and not 9s like most players. He has found that 10s give him a much beefier tone than 9s; you see. Way to go, Shaifful! Last but not least, tonewise, this ST72 oozes a totally righteous Strat vibe; I do declare. Don't believe me? Well, give this YouTube Video a listen and tell me I'm wrong.

Fender Japan ST72 Stratocaster | Part One

Part Two ▶

Here's a gorgeous Fender Japan ST72 Stratocaster belonging to Shaifful SENI. Shaifful politely requested that his pride and joy be thoroughly cleaned, polished, serviced and set up; and I was only too happy to oblige. You see, Shaifful is the son of the late Che'gu Ahmad Kisai; a dear acquaintance of mine from the '80s. And that makes him family in my book.

Now, there are lots of MIJ (Made in Japan) Stratocasters around, including many versions of the ST72. As such, I was unable to obtain specific information on this particular model. I believe the experts out would do better than me, based on the serial number and pictures I've uploaded. So, whatever specs stated in this post are from my own observations. As to what it sounds like, here's a short YouTube Video I uploaded that highlights all five pickup positions.

As you can obviously see, the finish is a three-tone-sunburst. The body wood looks like alder to me; but I can't be certain. What I can tell you, though; is that it's definitely not basswood. The neck is one-piece maple, so there's no separate fretboard. The headstock is the big '70s style, and sports Gotoh tuners, two string trees with nylon spacers; and a "bullet" style truss rod adjustment nut.

The maple fretboard features a 7.25" radius and 25.5" scale. The nut appears to be bone, based on visible file marks and nature of the nut slots. The 21 frets are of the small, vintage variety; while the fretboard markers are black dots. I must point out that the fret ends have been meticulously shaped; testimony to the quality of Japanese craftsmanship.

"Made in Japan" and the serial number have been silkscreened onto the neck heel, while the neck plate bears an engraved "F" logo. Now, let me see if I've left anything out. Ah, yes; one very interesting feature of this ST72 is the larger-than-usual tremolo block. I reckon it's almost as large as the "big blocks" found on some US Strats. Nice touch, methinks.

That's about it for this post, then. In Part Two, I'll be taking everything apart so we can have a good look at what's inside this Japanese beauty. Till then, stay home, stay safe; and God bless us all.

 

Ibanez SR305 Bass

Someone had broken the body of this metallic-black bass and put it back together with a few wood screws. The stock die-cast bridge also suffered from a damaged D string anchor and saddle. Although still playable, the owner brought it to me for electronics servicing, body/bridge repair and refinish. I ended up replacing the bridge with a Gotoh 205B-SC, reconditioning the fretboard, reshielding the body and pickup cavities, and refinishing the body in pearl white.

Shiro Sprinter Stratocaster Copy

A Short History Lesson
Information sourced from Jedistar and Aria Guitars indicates that "Shiro" guitars were produced by the Aria Tatsuno and Aria Nagoya guitar factories from around 1970 to 1982/83. It is also interesting to note that the name "Shiro" itself was derived from "Shiro Arai, Chairman and the founder of Aria Guitars."

Diagnosis
The Shiro Sprinter Stratocaster Copy featured in this post boasts a solid ash body, sunburst nitro finish, and maple neck. It arrived in less than pristine condition, for want of a better description. Further inspection and testing revealed the following:
1. Scratchy electronics, even after servicing
2. Worn-out tuning machines
3. Rusty string trees and trem springs
4. Rusty pickguard and backplate screws
5. Worn-out nut and frets
6. Jammed saddle height adjustment screws
7. Missing tremolo arm
8. Mismatched knobs (two strat-style and one chrome dome)
9. Salvageable tremolo unit

Work Done and Parts Replaced/Added
1. Pickup leads replaced with genuine vintage-style Gavitt (cloth covered push-back) wire
2. Alpha A250K pots/Gotoh DM-50 five-way selector switch/Neutrik output jack
3. Full refret and custom-fitted nut
4. Vintage-style string trees/tuning machines
5. Three tremolo springs
6. Russian 0.022uF PTFE tone cap
7. Three Genuine Fender Stratocaster control knobs
8. Six vintage-style saddles
9. Chrome pickguard and backplate screws

The missing tremolo arm was replaced with one taken from a Fender Strat on display at Kuantan Music. Here, words cannot express my gratitude to Kuantan Music senior guitar tech Mr. Liew. We'd tried all the trem arms on sale, but none fit satisfactorily.

Finally, Mr. Liew unscrewed one from a display unit, handed it to me, .... and it fit perfectly! Sensing that I was worried about his display unit now lacking a tremolo arm, he reassured me that he could always order a replacement along with the next shipment of Strats. How's that for service?

That's about it, I guess. Now, if you'd like to see and hear a Shiro Sprinter Strat in action, here's an excellent YouTube video of one being played through a Guyatone 1030 Reverb amp. Enjoy!